ÖSTRA HOSPITAL Location

PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY Göteborg, Sweden

Project Address

Östra Sjukhuset
Journalvägen 5
416 50 Göteborg, Sweden

Project Type

Medical Facility

“This has provided scientific evidence suggesting Square Feet

that well designed medical architecture can help 193,750 (18,000 m2)

reduce aggression and violent situations within Year of Completion

psychiatric in-patient care.”
2006
– Roger Ulrich
Occupant

Patients, Staff, Guests

PROJECT SUMMARY
Design Team
To design the new psychiatric facility at Östra Hospital in Sweden,
White Architects began by asking, “Can good architecture White Architects

alleviate the suffering of psychiatry patients and their families? Keywords

Can it speed recovery and thus be said to enhance the efficacy
mental health, wellbeing, healthcare,
of care?” With these questions in mind, White Architects created
central courtyard, light court
a welcoming and caring environment that treats the facility’s
design as an element of patient care. The new facility is also Awards
integrated into the campus that delivers somatic care, helping Forum’s Healthcare Building Award
to reduce the stigma and isolation of mental illnesses. Nature is 2007
a significant influence throughout the facility as access to nature
Second place – WAN Healthcare
has been shown to have positive effects on health and wellbeing. Building of the Year Award

Mental illness is often stigmatized, and patients
can feel embarrassed or ashamed of their
need to seek care. Worse yet, mental health
facilities are stereotyped as bleak, institutional
buildings that one wouldn’t choose to spend
time in. At Östra, the designers wanted to
wipe out these preconceived notions from
the entire experience. To do so, they carefully
considered the patient experience from the
moment someone approaches the building’s
entrance, to the treatment rooms, amenities,
and guest experience of visitors.
The facility was designed to be a healing
environment, and to support connections with
nature, all while adhering to the unique safety
and security needs of a psychiatric facility.
Staff must be able to monitor patients, and to
ensure their safety in the facility. Despite these
challenges, White Architects incorporated
access to outdoor spaces while still adhering
to the safety requirements.
This case study explores the strategies used
to establish a biophilic experience, including
the layout of each department, access to
nature both indoors and outdoors, and the
variety of individual and community spaces.
The design considers the varying needs of
both patients and healthcare professionals,
creating an environment that cares for all its
occupants.
Biophilic Patterns
Complexity & Order
Visual Connection to Nature
Dynamic and Diffuse Light
Refuge
Prepared by Cory Nestor and Terrapin
Bright Green
Above: Each care unit has a visual connection to
nature in the department heart. P1 P2 P6 P8
Work Cited: Architecture as Medicine – the
Importance of Architecture for Treatment Outcomes
in Psychiatry. Edited by Lena From & Stefan Lundin.
© ARQ

www.terrapinbg.com Östra Hospital Psychiatric Facility

 NATURE IN THE SPACE
[P1] Visual Connection with
Nature. Patient rooms have views
to the central gardens; light courts
are planted with low vegetation

[P2] Non-Visual Connection With

Nature. Operable windows bring
the sounds and smells from the garden MODULE DETAIL
in, courtyards feature edible plants

[P3] Non-Rhythmic Sensory Stimuli.

In the garden courtyards, occupants
can feel breezes, see cloud movements,
and hear bird and insect sounds

[P4] Access to Thermal & Airflow

Variability. Patient rooms and sun rooms
have operable sun shades and windows

[P5] Presence of Water. Not

significantly represented in design

[P6] Dynamic & Diffuse Light. Light FLOOR PLAN

courts in the heart of each department
bring natural light into the space

[P7] Connection with Natural

Systems. Garden courtyards show effects
of weather and seasonal changes in nature

NATURAL ANALOGUES
[P8] Biomorphic Forms & Patterns.
Not significantly represented in design

[P9] Material Connection with

Nature. Polished stone floors,
oak hardwood floors, birch handrails,
and unpainted wood furniture

[P10] Complexity & Order. Repeated

L-shaped pattern of the spatial configuration

NATURE OF THE SPACE

[P11] Prospect. Long distance views
are available from the garden and
through many of the windows
[P12] Refuge. Arbor-like seating off the path
in the garden courtyards; nested private
to public spaces within the departments
[P13] Mystery. Not significantly
represented in design
[P14] Risk/Peril. Not significantly
represented in design
Module Detail: Space is arrange in a processional
order from Private ¨ Semi-private ¨ Semi-public
¨ Public. This transect from refuge to social space
gives patients the opportunity to engage with one
another on their own terms.
Floor Plan: The building layout is comprised of four
modules with garden courtyards between each. The
modules are connected by the building’s spine.
Repeated spatial arrangements simplify navigation
for staff, patients, and visitors.
[P10]
COMPLEXITY & ORDER
The floor plan is composed of four repeating
L-shaped departments, three outdoor
courtyards, and a connecting “spine.” Each
department is self-sufficient and contains
treatment rooms, administrative offices and
living areas. These spaces together make up
each of the L-shaped departments. Three of
the departments are positioned side by side,
with a fourth rotated to create the 3 large
central garden courtyards. The repeating
spatial arrangements make Östra easier to
navigate for staff. Once staff are familiar with
one department, they can navigate them all.
Östra’s subdivision of space at the
departmental scale is an example of
complexity and order: sensory information
that adheres to a spatial hierarchy similar
to those encountered in nature.
Within each department, it was important
to designers to create a layout that allows
skala 1:400 [A3]
patients to navigate and feel a sense of
ownership over their environment, as the
average patient stay is over 19 days. Either
individual or double units, all of the rooms
have access to natural daylight and are part
of a spatial grouping of rooms within the larger
department. Each cluster of patient rooms
also has access to a semi-private circulation
and sun room. From this outer hallway, the
department transitions inwards to the semi-
public communal space created by the light
courtyard. This transition from private/
personal (individual) to semi-private (family),
and semi-public (tribe) breaks the department
into various environments and allows patients
to participate in all three realms depending on
their preference. Patients can choose where
and how to interact with others, adding to the
sense of normalcy and independence.
The layout also helps staff maintain security
in the departments. Each section can be
monitored and secured easily, and staff can
immediately find their way in any department.

Östra Hospital Psychiatric Facility www.terrapinbg.com

[P1]
VISUAL CONNECTION
W/ NATURE
The Östra design works to ensure all
patients have consistent access to a view
of elements of nature, living systems,
and natural processes. The placement
of the three central courtyards between the
departments ensures that even rooms in the
center of the building have access to nature
views. This, along with the interior light courts,
brings nature into the space.
This project is unique in that visual connection
with nature is used not only to enhance the
occupant experience within the building, but
also to encourage patients to go outside,
either by using the indoor light courts or larger
central garden courtyards. Patients are able
to access the garden courtyards on their own,
which provides a sense of independence and
control in addition to the benefits of being in
nature
Like any mental health facility, security
and safety while in the building are major
constraints on the building’s form. When
speaking about the importance of including
nature in creating a nurturing experience,
landscape architect Carina Tenngart Ivarsson
said, “The positive effects on physical, mental
and social wellbeing greatly outweigh the
problematic security and secrecy aspects,
which however are not to be gainsaid.” The
wellbeing benefits of free access to nature for
the patients are balanced against the added
security concerns for the staff. Designers felt
that if the facility were built to be inescapable,
it would encourage escape attempts. If it were
built to be beautiful and welcoming, it would
more likely be respected and contribute to
occupant wellbeing.
www.terrapinbg.com
[P6]
DYNAMIC & DIFFUSE LIGHT
Access to dynamic and diffuse light —
varying intensities of light and shadow
that change over time to create
conditions that occur in nature — is seen
throughout the facility. Several studies have
successfully demonstrated the beneficial
effect of natural light on depression,
sleep disturbances, circadian rhythm and
physical aggressiveness, making it an
important design aspect of the facility.
Each grouping of patient rooms has a
corner sun room with windows on two
walls, while individual (private) rooms have
windows. Operable blinds allow patients
to adjust the level of light according to
their preference. Additionally, light courts
at the heart of each department bring
daylight to the interior spaces where
no windows are available. These light
courts are the center of the communal
area, bringing light not only into the court
itself, but also the other surrounding
community spaces like the dining area.
“Use of daylight is primary, resulting in
narrow volumes and well-lit rooms. The
care devoted to lighting is unmistakable:
the lighting strengths are low in relation to
present-day medical care; the light is sparing,
something verging on darkness” (Architecture
as Medicine). The use of light at Östra
Hospital is reminiscent of a domestic setting,
helping patients to feel at home in the space.
Left: Sun rooms located in the corner of each
layout along the south wall provide a quite refuge
space for patients. P1 P6 P12 P7
[P12]
REFUGE
Studies have shown that prospect and refuge
spaces reduce stress and allow patients to feel
in control of their surroundings. “If patients are
allowed to personalize and otherwise show
their territories, the researchers tell us, then
the social atmosphere should improve and the
environment be perceived in a more positive
light” (White Architecture).
Examples of refuge are abundant in the
design. The hierarchy of spaces nest
private spaces away from more public
communal areas, allowing occupants to
choose their preferred level of interaction in
the department’s activities. From individual
rooms to shared sunrooms and gathering
spaces, to a central space with the light
court, occupants have numerous ways to
experience their environment. Additionally, the
shared sunrooms have operable sunshades to
shield views from the outside and increase the
sense of refuge. The central space with the
light court also uses furniture, like high-backed
chairs, to create partial refuge conditions.
The garden courtyards also provide Refuge
conditions. The paths are all walkable and
feature arbor-like seating areas that create
a sense of prospect and refuge. Individuals
have the comfort of the arbor—which is
withdrawn from the main flow of activity and
protects the individual from behind and
overhead—while still being able to view their
surroundings. The use of a delicate arbor also
ensures that individuals don’t feel trapped or
enclosed.
Right: Exterior courtyards have recessed seating
where patients can look out over the gardens.
P1 P3 P6 P7 P11 P12
Östra Hospital Psychiatric Facility
HEALTH BENEFITS
White Architects implementation of the
biophilic patterns have the potential to provide
the following benefits to occupant health and
wellbeing:
[P1] Visual Connection with Nature. 
Lowered blood pressure and
heart rate; improved mental
engagement/attentiveness;
positively impacted attitude and
overall happiness.
[P6] Dynamic and Diffuse Light. 
Positively impacted circadian
system functioning; increased
visual comfort.
[P10] Complexity & Order. Positively
impacted perceptual and
physiological stress responses;
observed view preference.
[P12] Refuge. Improved concentration
attention and perception of safety.
These patterns can decrease feelings of stress,
and contribute to the healing environment that
the designers aimed to create within the new
facility. By using multiple patterns to achieve
the same health response, designers address
the variability in user preference and increase
the likelihood that the biophilic design of the
space will have a positive effect on patient
health.
A HEALING ENVIRONMENT
Data collected from 2005, the year before the
move to Östra, compared to 2007, the year
after the move, show that there are noticeable
improvements in the number of compulsory
injections and restraints per quarter, as well
as a decrease in sicklisting of staff. (Table 1,
2, 3).
“The need for coercive medication has
diminished. The need for shackle restraint
has diminished. Re-admissions within seven
days of discharge have diminished. Sicklisting
of staff has diminished. The survey material
Östra Hospital Psychiatric Facility
is small but of great importance. This is the
first quantifiable study ever undertaken in
Sweden concerning the importance of the
physical environment for the healing process
in psychiatry” (Architecture as Medicine).
While the data show a positive difference
between Östra and the previous facility on
the occupants, both patients and staff, the
exact mechanism found to be most beneficial
to these outcomes is difficult to determine.
Evidence based design (EBD) attempts to
create positive outcomes on human health
and wellbeing through sound science rooted
in existing peer-reviewed research. Data
collected at Östra Hospital psychiatric facility,
analyzed in the context of outside research
findings, will contribute to the growing
knowledge base in the field of EBD.
Informal interviews with patients and staff
further indicate that the building’s design
has played a role in the patient experience.
“Spontaneous remarks by patients, staff
and visitors show the huge importance
attached to the thought of someone really
having taken the task absolutely seriously
and exerted themselves to create a beautiful
building showing respect for everyone who
will be using it” (Architecture as Medicine).
Terrapin
Terrapin is an environmental consulting and
strategic planning firm committed to improving
the human environment through high performance
development, policy, and related research. We
provide biophilic design strategies with measurable
outcomes that place our clients’ properties at
the forefront of innovative design. Visit us at
www.terrapinbrightgreen.com, or email us at
biophilia@terrapinbg.com.
© 2017 Terrapin Bright Green
Comparison of Average Quarterly Findings
2005 (Pre-move) and 2007 (Post-move)
Table 1. Compulsory Injections
2005 2007
Patients 23 17
Occasions 47 30
“The number of compulsory
medications and restraints of
patients has fallen greatly”
Table 2. Subject to Restraints
2005 2007
Patients 14 16
Occasions 63 35
“The atmosphere in the department
has been calmer and patients have
had fewer outbursts of aggression”
Table 3. Sicklisting
2005 2007
Staff 9% 6%
Occasions NA NA
Source: Architecture as Medicine.
Activity Within Nature
Home garden plots were incorporated into
one of the courtyards for patients and staff
to plant in. This place-making strategy
provides occupants with the opportunity to
take ownership of their environment. The
plots were so successful, patients asked to
incorporate them into all three courtyards.
Patients can be seen sitting on the benches,
tucked away between greenery, taking
advantage of the therapeutic refuge and visual
connection with nature conditions provided.
The care that went into creating space for
patients to use freely, and the care that went
into the entire design, is a reminder that Östra
is a place of healing. The psychiatric facility at
Östra Hospital is structured to promote health
and wellbeing through connections to nature.
White Architects
Architecture is about creating spaces where
people can feel and perform better. Our design
process always starts from the inside and out,
by understanding the needs of people and
function of places. By involving people from the
start, the engagement is greater, the outcome
is better and the process runs smoother.
Find their work at www.white.se.
All images © White Architects and Photographer Hans Wretling.
www.terrapinbg.com